Pat Mora's Children's Books Biography

"For the ladybug that landed on my finger, a little red flying surprise, thanks." So begins Pat's upcoming bilingual picture book, Gracias * Thanks. Another new book is A Piñata in a Pine Tree: A Latino Twelve Days of Christmas. An award-winning author of many children's books, Pat also published Nepantla: Essays from the Land in the Middle, the memoir, House of Houses, and six poetry collections. Dizzy in Your Eyes: Love Poems is her new book for teens. Zing! Seven Creativity Practices for Educators and Students will be published in April.

Pat's haiku collection about foods of the Americas, Yum! ¡Mmm! ¡Qué Rico!, won the Américas Award and was an ALA Notable. Doña Flor: A Tall Tale about a Giant Woman with a Great Big Heart was an ALA Notable which received a Pura Belpré Author Honor Award and a Golden Kite Award from the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI).

A literacy advocate excited about sharing what she calls "bookjoy," Pat founded the family literacy initiative, El día de los niños / El día de los libros, Children's Day / Book Day ("Día") , now housed at the American Library Association. The year-long commitment to daily linking all children to books, languages and cultures culminates in celebrations across the country on or near April 30th. Her book, Book Fiesta, promotes the Día spirit.

Pat is a popular national speaker shaped by the U.S.-Mexico border where she was born and spent much of her life. Her honors include Honorary Doctorates from North Carolina State University and SUNY Buffalo, Honorary Membership in the American Library Association, a Civitella Ranieri Fellowship to write in Umbria, Italy; and a Visiting Carruthers Chair at the University of New Mexico. She was a recipient and judge of a Poetry Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and a recipient and advisor of the Kellogg National Leadership Fellowships.

A former teacher, university administrator, museum director, and consultant, Pat is the mother of three adult children. She enjoys family/friend time, reading, gardening, cooking, and living in Santa Fe, New Mexico.